


Make The Pain Go Away

by Unshaded_Streaks_Of_Me



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fear, Lots of Angst, M/M, Will can absorb physical and mental pain, and hurt, triggering maybe?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 14:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6083022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unshaded_Streaks_Of_Me/pseuds/Unshaded_Streaks_Of_Me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will raised his head and tried again, “My- My powers.”</p><p>Nico cupped Will’s face in his hands worriedly. “What about them?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Will’s hands trembled, “I can’t control them. I can’t- I can’t control them.” His voice was growing shriller with every sentence. “It’s all in me, Nico. It’s- It’s all in me and I’m so scared, Nico. It’s all in me.”</p><p>Basically Will has certain powers which only Nico knows about. After a particularly taxing day, Will takes a step too far and his powers have a few unwanted side effects..</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make The Pain Go Away

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is based on a prompt I got on Tumblr in which Will has absorbing powers. It turned out a bit longer than I thought and it might be a bit boring. But hope you like it anyways! xD

Will stood atop a large rock with a few of his siblings, scouting the battle field for any signs of wounded demigods they might have left behind. He was also in charge of bringing back the dead bodies, but Will chose not to think of that. After the battle with Gaea, one would have hoped that the next war would be decades away, but the Fates decided that two battles in a lifetime weren’t enough.

At nineteen, Will should have been back in New Rome, studying medicine, but he was needed here, fighting more battles for the Gods, a mere servant to the strings of the Fates. And he was exhausted. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept or the last time he’d even _stopped_ to catch his breath. Every second was precious, every second was useful to save lives, to help others, to _be useful_. Will couldn’t afford to stop; he couldn’t afford to show weakness. Everyone was suffering. The least he could do was stay strong.

After making sure there wasn’t anyone left behind, Will motioned to his siblings to follow him back to the infirmary. They talked in hushed tones behind him, while Will walked ahead in silence. His eyes were heavy from lack of sleep and his side still throbbed painfully from where a _dracanae_ had stabbed him. Every step he took was an effort but after the third monster attack, he’d stopped caring. He was barely aware of his surroundings, his body always in battle mode. He was on automatic – run, aim, shoot and when everything was done, heal. And take away the pain.

One thing no one at camp knew about Will was that he could absorb people’s pain – physical and mental. He could heal people completely with just a touch, leaving them pain-free and him, in agony. Every night, he’d lock himself in a room, away from everybody else and scream into a pillow, muffling his sobs so no one could hear. Especially Nico. Though Will had learnt to control his powers, Nico hated it when Will used them, and could always tell when Will did. Ever since he’d come back to Camp Half-Blood, he’d avoided his boyfriend as much as possible and Nico said nothing about it. Of course, the son of Hades had his own problems to deal with. Will decided he’d visit him later that night.

As they reached the cabins, Will turned around and sent his siblings back to their cabin, while he made his way further to the infirmary. Hopefully he’d be able to rest after.

The infirmary was dull with exhausted healers and injured campers. The last monster attack had been more savage than usual and the tired campers had barely fought through it. The number of injured and casualties were increasing steadily and emotions were running high. A few healers were checking on each camper, making sure they were comfortable. But that wouldn’t be enough. With a sigh, Will put down his sack near the wall and tried to block out the muffled cries and groans in the room. He strode in, assessing the injuries, trying to figure out where he was needed most. Kayla, his sister, was walking around too, giving instructions. Seeing Will, she came up to him and smiled weakly. “Hey big bro. Everything’s pretty okay but the injuries are worse than before. Everyone’s tired and everyone’s hurting. I’ve told everyone to just rest for now and I’ve sent the younger kids to sleep. You want to double check anyways?”

Will nodded tiredly. “Yeah, I think I’ll do that. How about you go and get some rest,” he smiled and patted her shoulder, “You look dead on your feet.”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “So do you.” But she walked towards the door anyways. Turning back, she looked at Will with concern. “Promise me you’ll get rest once you’re done.”

Will smiled at her. “Yeah, yeah. Now shoo!”

With that, he went back to look at his patients. All the beds were full and there were still several campers in the make-shift infirmary they’d put up in a few cabins. With a sigh, Will walked over to a young girl who was crying and whimpering, while an older girl sat next to her. Will walked over with a smile. “Hey! I’m just going to check you over once and then you can rest. The pain will get better, I promise.”

Will touched the girl’s forehead and concentrated on her injury. Injuries were like temporary pulses – throbbing continuously, albeit painfully. As he pressed his palm to the girl’s forehead, he could feel the foreign pulsing transfer into him, something he was now used to. Will knew he shouldn’t be using his powers when he was this tired, but this was a little girl and these kids shouldn’t be suffering.

The girl’s eyes slowly grew wider in surprise and she grinned up at Will. “My leg doesn’t hurt anymore!”

The older girl looked up at Will gratefully. He figured she was the girl’s sister. “Thank you so much!”

Will grinned and went to move towards the next bed. He was feeling stranger than usual, like every cell in his body was loosening up, his body feeling vulnerable. He passed it off as exhaustion and went on walking.

And then he felt it. The same foreign pulsing. Something that shouldn’t be in his body. He could feel the throbbing making its way in his blood stream, pulsing against his nerves. He could feel traces of fear, anxiety, stings of pain, a dull throbbing in his arms, his legs, his chest. Will could tell he had frozen in his spot. He could feel everyone staring at him. He could feel everyone’s pain seeping away and making his way into him. He could feel every single person in the infirmary relaxing as the pain left them. And he was terrified. This wasn’t supposed to happen. His powers only worked when he touched the person. He was supposed to be able to control it!

A bead of sweat made its way down Will’s temple. He couldn’t think, he was so scared. He would never be able to handle the amount of pain currently inside him. Heart throbbing, pulse racing, he ran out of the infirmary and went to the person he trusted the most. _Nico_. He’d know what to do. Nico would help. Nico could take away his pain. Nico would help. Nico would help. Deliriously, Will stumbled up to the Hades cabin and banged on the door. Choking back a sob, Will banged harder, now calling out for Nico desperately.

The door opened, revealing a concerned Nico, dark circles under his eyes. “Will?”

Will pushed his way into the dark cabin and sunk against a wall, curling up against himself. He could feel gentle hands rubbing his shoulders, stroking his head. Will sobbed into his hands, wanting the feeling to go away. Wanting the throbbing to go away. Wanting Nico to take away the feeling.

“Will,” Nico knelt in front of Will, “Will, baby, what’s wrong?”

“I- I,” Will tried, but ended up sobbing instead. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Nico, sobbing into his shirt, wishing everything would stop.

Will raised his head and tried again, “My- My powers.”

Nico cupped Will’s face in his hands worriedly. “What about them?”

“I don’t know,” Will’s hands trembled, “I can’t control them. I can’t- I can’t control them.” His voice was growing shriller with every sentence. “It’s all in me, Nico. It’s- It’s all in me and I’m so scared, Nico. It’s all in me.”

Nico’s face paled visibly and his grip on Will tightened. “What do you mean?”

Will gasped loudly, his cheeks burning with hot tears. “I was- I was in the infirmary and then I felt- Everyone’s pain was seeping into me. I couldn’t stop it. The throbbing. It- It wouldn’t stop. I tried to stop it but it wouldn’t stop, Nico. It wouldn’t stop.”

Nico bit his lip. Will could tell he was fighting to stay calm. His eyebrows were scrunched together and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Will’s. “Okay, okay.”

Nico pulled Will to his feet and settled him down on his bed. He sat down next to Will and wrapped an arm around him. Will rested his head against Nico’s shoulder and took a shaky breath. His entire body was trembling. His nerves were shot, fired up. He could feel Nico thinking hard next to him. He could tell Nico had no idea what to do. “Nico,” Will whispered helplessly, “Please help me. I’m really scared.”

Nico took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said, almost to himself, “Okay, does anyone else know about your powers? Kayla?”

Will shook his head, “No, just you.”

Nico was silent for a few more moments. He held his head in his hands for a few seconds and looked up slowly. The look in his eyes scared Will. He’d never seen Nico look so scared and worried. Nico rested his hand on Will’s, squeezing it tightly. “I don’t know what to do, Will. I really don’t.”

Will suddenly felt light-headed. He was helpless. There was nothing anyone could do. This was all him. Just him alone. His breaths were coming out in short gasps, the room was spinning in front of him. Nico held him against his chest and whispered sweet nothings in his ears, consoling him, rocking him slowly.

As soon as Will calmed down a little, Nico helped him up and took him to the Big House. “I think we should tell Chiron. He’ll know what to do.”

Will nodded and followed in silence. The pain usually hit at night. He had only a couple of hours left.

* * *

Chiron was furious. Will barely noticed, but he could hear Chiron yelling at him for being so thoughtless. Chiron never yelled. Will knew he should have felt guilty but at that moment, he couldn’t think of anything but himself.

He could hear Nico trying to calm Chiron down, to explain why Will hadn’t told anyone. He could hear Chiron trotting back and forth, his hooves clipping against the wooden floor. He could feel the throbbing in his body increasing to something more akin to a heartbeat. Nico voice brought him back to reality.

“Will,” Nico was kneeling in front of him. Will realised he’d sunken to the floor in the midst of everything. Behind Nico, Chiron was looking down at him, concerned. His white tail was flicking behind him, something it did when he was nervous.

“William,” Chiron said gravely, “I’ve heard of sons of Apollo having the same power as you but I’ve never seen _this_ happen before.”

He continued trotting in the room, thinking hard. “I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do but endure it.”

Will couldn’t believe it. He stared at Chiron, dumbfounded. “Mr. D-”

Chiron shook his head. “Mr. D is fighting a war of his own, Will.” He turned to Nico and said, “Call Kayla. Will’s going to be in extreme pain in a while and we have to make sure he doesn’t- that nothing happens to him. Don’t tell anyone else.”

Nico nodded and pressed a kiss to Will’s lips before rushing out the door. Will looked at Chiron apprehensively. “Chiron. I- I won’t die, right?”

Chiron patted Will’s shoulder and smiled. “You’re a strong man, Will. Believe in yourself.”

Will nodded mutely.

* * *

At 9, Will was laying down on a bed surrounded by Nico, Kayla and Chiron. After Nico explained the situation to Kayla, she’d just nodded and held onto Will’s hand, telling him that everything was going to be okay.

Currently, Nico was gripping Will’s hand, trying to distract him with stories about his day, while they waited for the pain to hit. Will’s ears were ringing and his heart was beating faster than ever. He tried to concentrate on Nico’s voice, to hold on to it as an anchor.

Another hour passed. Kayla looked back at the clock on the wall with a frown. “It’s past 10.”

Nico looked at Chiron hopefully. “Is it possible for the pain to just pass on without Will feeling it?”

Chiron looked at Will uncertainly. “I’m not sure, child.”

Nico smiled at Will encouragingly, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. Will closed his eyes, taking in Nico’s scent, feeling safe in his arms.

And then the pain hit him. It hit him like a wave crashing into a cliff. Suddenly and all together. Will screamed loudly, crushing Nico’s hand in his grasp. He was burning, his blood was on fire, his arms and legs were being torn off, his ribs were being stomped on. Darkness set upon him and he could see nothing else. Will could feel his skull being hammered into, a knife stabbing his temple repeatedly. He arched up on the table, his voice cracking under pressure. He could hear someone screaming nearby but he realised it was himself. He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know who he was. He just wanted the pain to stop.

A torrent of emotions crashed down on Will, leaving him gasping and thrashing on the bed. He was terrified beyond comparison. His loved ones were dead. His friends were dead. Nothing would ever be okay. He was completely helpless. He was completely useless. He would never be good enough. What if he died? What if his siblings died? What if his efforts were all in vain? What if nothing was worth fighting for? He was so, so tired. Life was cruel. The Fates were cruel. The Gods were cruel. He didn’t want to fight. He wanted everything to stop, he wanted everything to end. He wanted to get away from everything. He wanted to die.

Will felt tears running down his cheeks as he begged to nobody for mercy, for forgiveness. He tried to move, to get away from the darkness but something was holding him in place. He thrashed around, screaming, shouting, fighting against invisible restraints. He felt weightless, like he was floating and he wished he was dead. He wished the pain would go away.

Will opened his eyes slowly, sobbing through the agony, his vision blurred through tears. He could make out someone next to him, someone he knew. He lifted his head desperately and whispered, “Kill me.” And everything went dark.

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was the dull ache in his body. Everything was bright. _Too_ bright. He squinted, trying to adjust to the light, when he heard a familiar voice sob in relief. “Will!”

Will blinked hard and looked around. Nico was sitting next to him, holding onto his hand like a lifeline, peppering Will’s face with kisses. Kayla was standing in front of him, tears streaming down her face as she looked at him, relieved. “I was so scared, Will,” she said shakily and ran to his side to give him a hug. Nico laughed and hugged him too.

Will, who was still feeling a little disoriented, asked weakly, “What happened?”

Nico sat back in his seat, not letting go of Will’s hand. “You almost faded, Will,” he said, wide eyed, “You were screaming and thrashing on the bed and we were all so scared and then suddenly you turned translucent, almost like light.”

Kayla nodded. “It was almost like you were turning on and off. You were literally flickering like a bulb. We couldn’t even touch you properly.”

Nico smiled at Kayla gratefully. “Kayla did great. She helped a lot with her healing magic. Drained a lot of her energy.”

Kayla blushed and nodded. 

Nico turned his attention back to Will, scanning his face. Biting his lip, Nico leaned forward and engulfed Will in a tight hug, pressing his lips against Will's. Will kissed back, humming contentedly. Nico pulled away and rested his forehead against Will’s. “Promise me you’ll never use your powers again.”

Will hesitated. He nodded and leaned forward for another kiss. “I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! Criticism appreciated.


End file.
